More kindergartners ready to learn

Classes emphasize learning through play

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

To some this may have just looked like simple play. To a teacher, though, the students were developing important foundations for math and language, including learning to count and the things that come with counting, such as addition and subtraction.

"The teacher was not leading them," said Thorstensen, supervisor of instruction for early childhood education for the St. Mary's public schools. "This was reinforcing what the teacher had already talked about."

Participating in such play experiences is essential to developing the skills needed to start kindergarten. "Play is how they learn. That's how you develop language, during play," Thorstensen said.

By age 5 most students start kindergarten and begin learning to read and write. During the first eight weeks of the school year teachers observe and evaluate students to determine their preparedness.

Four out of five St. Mary's students entered kindergarten fully prepared to learn this year, more than in any previous year, according to a school readiness report released last week.

"We are all feeling quite good," said Kathleen Reif, county library director and co-chair of the county's early childhood team. She attributed the rise to better communication among the agencies and people who work with students before kindergarten, such as day care providers.

"Lots of [child care] providers are getting lots more training then they ever used to," she said. Some follow new state curriculum guidelines that aim to build foundations that are expanded on in kindergarten and beyond.

Of the 1,125 students starting kindergarten last summer, 891 of them, or 79 percent, were judged as fully prepared to start school. Last year the number had decreased slightly to just 69 percent.

Kindergarten teachers evaluate and rate student performance during the first eight weeks of the school year using tests developed by Maryland State Department of Education. The assessments involve both observation of behavior and the students' work.

The report reflects scores for seven domains of learning, such as literacy, math, and social skills, as well as the composite scores. Individual results are discussed with parents during conferences, school officials said.

Last year only about half of the African-American students were determined as fully prepared for kindergarten in St. Mary's, a number that lagged behind the Maryland average. This year that percent increased to 67 percent, still significantly below the 83 percent of white students fully prepared.

Other subgroups of students that showed less than the average readiness for St. Mary's County include students from low-income families — only 65 percent of that group was deemed at full readiness — and students whose first language is not English — just 53 percent were fully prepared.

Children who spent time in early-care settings generally started school better prepared for learning than those who remained at home or in the homes of relatives, the research found. 

Based on prior care, the highest percent tested as fully prepared came from non-public nurseries (95 percent). The numbers dropped starting with family child care, child care center, prekindergarten, home or informal care and finally Head Start.

The lowest percentage of prepared students came from the Head Start program at 65 percent. Head Start is aimed at children who are identified as needing the most help.

In St. Mary's, fewer than half of the kindergartners considered as special education were deemed fully prepared for kindergarten.

As with past reports, girls were more likely to be prepared for kindergarten than their male peers in St. Mary's. While 85 percent of girls were ready to learn when they started kindergarten only 74 percent of boys were ready.

The county's early childhood team is made up of about two dozen people who meet quarterly to address school readiness. Last year after readiness levels remained stagnant or dropped the group said it would refocus its efforts. The group hopes to open a Family ACCESS Center on Shangri La Road in Lexington Park, similar to the building at the Jarboe Center in Great Mills, within the next few months. The center will offer parents resources and referrals to other agencies and may offer informational classes on parenting and other related topics.

jyeatman@somdnews.com